Every Step
by ShipsbyNoa
Summary: Michonne has some big news for Rick, she's pregnant. Set between S9E4 -S9E5. AU, in which Rick gets a chance to share the moment with the love of his life.


A/N: A Richonne gift for the super sweet, patient and talented virellya who gave me this wonderful prompt on tumblr: Michonne telling Rick she's pregnant and his reaction.

It's mostly fluffy, but has some bittersweet angst, too.

* * *

Rick knew bringing all the communities together would be hard, hell, almost impossible. Sometimes he wanted to shut down and let it all fall apart, because he was just so damn tired, but he couldn't. He needed this to be the future for his family, for everyone trying to build something. For the sake of everyone whoever loved someone, who died trying to make the new world better. For Carl.

But god, was he dead on his feet. His shoulder blades ached, there was perpetual tension in his neck and lower back, and he'd been nursing a headache for almost three days. But when a message came through the radio from Nora about Michonne, every ache, every burn, and every worry faded away. He had to get her.

He felt a pang of guilt flush through him as he entered their home. Michonne had been working around the clock to not only manage and run Alexandria but studied every morning and night to build fair laws for their communities, while raising their daughter.

"Michonne," He called out, climbing the stairs two at a time. Sweat glistened his forehead and collected at the small of his back and underarms from anxiety, because he knew she wouldn't call on him unless Alexandria was falling apart, but the message was vague, vague enough to set his imagination on fire. 'Michonne needs you. Says it's urgent.' Nora had said over the radio.

Entering the bedroom, he stilled by the door. His heart thumping so hard he could hear the echo of it in his head. "Michonne," he said. She was sitting facing the window when he entered and simply patted the space beside her. "What?" He rounded the bed and dipped his head to find her eyes and when she looked up, his heart clenched into a tight fist. Moving to her side, he sat, wiping the tears streaming her face with the pad of his thumb. "What is it?"

Michonne sniffled, parting her lips momentarily before pressing them together.

"Should I get Siddiq?" When she didn't answer, he rose to his feet. "I'll get him over here,"

"No," She finally looked at him with a quivering smile on her face. "No. I'm fine."

Rick cupped his waist and tilted his head at her, confused. Somehow, he was missing something and Michonne couldn't find the words to fill him in. He was doing just about everything in his power not to spiral into a panic. "You have to say something here, cause I'm-," he rubbed his eyebrow with the back of his thumb, trying to soothe his anxiety. "I'm-,

"I'm pregnant." She said in a quiet, and shaky voice.

Rick stilled. He wasn't sure he had heard her right, but then the look on her face - pure joy, was enough to punch the air out of him. The question creasing his forehead melted away and his mouth fell open, his nose flaring as a rush of emotions flushed through him all at once. He couldn't find the words either. He was completely overcome.

"You're pregnant?"

Michonne nodded. Her eyes twinkled, and her nose was ran, and all he could do was kneel down in front of her, between her legs, cupping her waist. Blinking away the tears, he stared at her flat stomach in awe, and then gazed up at her. "You're sure?"

Michonne swallowed and licked away the tear rolling across her mouth. "I haven't gone to Siddiq yet, but I'm late." She breezed out. "I thought it was stress at first, but-,"

Rick took a big shaky breath in and blew out slowly, chuckling to himself. "You're pregnant."

Michonne leaned in, cupping his face. "We are."

Rick mirrored her, sliding both hands up to brace her face and inhaled her as they kissed, deep and tender, and fierce, and when he pulled away, he could barely see through the mist of surging emotions rushing up his cheeks. He pinched his eyes closed and let out a cry, followed by laughter. He was feeling a little delirious.

Michonne laughed at the unexpected sound. "Are you okay?"

Rick looked up at her and took her hand, holding it against his chest, and nodded. "Yeah." He said, using his free hand to push her locs away from her face. "This is it."

She smiled, brighter than before, and less shaky. "Are you ready to be a dad again, old man?"

He huffed out a laugh. He wasn't even sure how he was going to get up off his knees, but there was no hesitation to her question, not a second of doubt. "Yes," he said as his eyes caressed every inch of her face. "Are you ready to do this again?"

Her face melted. "Yes," she said in all seriousness, with her brows tightly knitted.

Rick pulled her into him, tucking her in his arms and buried his face in her shoulder, placing a longing kiss there. He closed his eyes when he felt Michonne's long, graceful fingers scraping the nape of his neck, and he then he felt her body shift against him as she squeezed him between her thighs.

When he pulled away, her eyes were dark and her breathing had quickened, and he knew that look, that look sent heat straight down to his groin every time. Smiling in response, he moved her locs back and leaned in, prying her mouth open with his tongue, kissing her greedily. Like he was a dessert and she was his water.

Michonne responded with fervor and pulled him up off his knees and on top of her. He chuckled into her mouth, pressing his knee between her legs, and went to work, laying kisses to her jaw, collarbone and between her breasts. Then he leaned back, dragging her jeans and underwear down her thighs, smiling as she shimmied her hips to help him.

As he leaned in for another kiss, Michonne worked on his belt buckle with expert fingers and tugged his jeans down his waist. He groaned against her throat, scraping his teeth there as she grabbed his ass, bucking her hips up against him, impatiently.

He grew hard against her inner thigh.

* * *

Laying, entangled in each other's arms, in the middle of the afternoon, Rick gathered Michonne closer and she slipped her thigh between his, rubbing her foot against his calve. He smiled, sleepy, and sated. He was so happy it ached, deep and wide in his chest – because for a split second he thought about how Carl would react when he told him the news. But then he remembered.

"Rick," Michonne said. "Did you hear me?"

"What?" Rick swallowed, glancing down at her.

"Where were you just then?" She grazed her nails across his chest gently.

Rick exhaled. "I just – I was thinking about Carl. And Negan, if keeping him alive was enough. Did we do the right thing, even though it pushed Maggie away." Swallowing hard, he bit into his lip to redirect the pain in pooling in his chest, the loss of Carl an internal bleed he'd never recover from. "I've been asking for a sign. A sign that we're going in the right direction, that you and me are doing what we're meant to be doing. And now," he placed his hand over her stomach. "Now I'm sure. Everythang we been doing, everythang we're trying to do, it was for this. This moment."

"I think about it, too. All of it." Michonne snuggled closer, rubbing her cheek against his pec.

"He brought us together." Rick's voice croaked and he cleared his throat to drop the grief from it. "I think he knew even before either of us that we'd need each other."

She nodded against him. "Yeah" and it was barely a whisper, because talking about Carl was easier, but it was never easy.

"I miss him." Rick's heart stuttered with his voice, and he breathed out slowly, to regain himself.

Michonne squeezed him as tight as she could. "Me too."

"But this is good." He nodded, closing his eyes, as his gut slowly untwisted, freeing him. "This is everythang," still rubbing her arm, he tapped her elbow and she looked up at him. "We should keep this between us, just for a little while. I want to enjoy it – something just for us."

"OK," Michonne said. "But we still have work to do – the charter isn't finished, and you have the bridge-,"

"We'll make it work." Rick said, assuredly.

"And the saviors, they need-,"

"We'll make it work." He emphasized, gently squeezing her shoulder. "We will. OK? We'll get you over to Siddiq and then we'll decide how much work you should be doing and for how long." He smiled, amused, when she gave him a pointed look. "Are you going to fight me on this?" Michonne relented, and he laughed. "Good. We should head over there."

"Few more minutes." She whispered, turning her face into his chest, and inhaling.

* * *

Siddiq had taken her bloods, sugar levels, blood pressure and a sample of pee. And now they had to wait.

Michonne was on the bed while Rick held her hand. He had butterflies in his stomach and a longing ache in his chest because this meant something, a new beginning, the first chapter in the new world with the love of his life. He had so many emotions crashing into each other he could barely stand the waiting, as Siddiq conducted his test just a few feet away.

She squeezed his hand, offering him a smile when he looked down at her. "I'm sure." She said, and he gave a fraction of a nod, because he was too full and too distracted to summon words.

Finally, Siddiq stood up and crossed the room, sitting down in front of them. It felt like an eternity stretched out over a few moments, as he eyed them with a neutral expression. "Well," he said. "The test is positive. Michonne, you are pregnant."

Rick's breath caught in his chest and he stepped back, trying to recover, though his hand was still tightly entwined with Michonne's. Their locked eyes and his filled again, and he brought her hand to his mouth to kiss the inside of her palm. "I love you."

"I love you too." Michonne cried.

They'd lost so much. Too much. More than anyone could stand, but this, this was giving them something back.

"Based on your last period and ovulation cycle, I'd say you're close to six weeks along." Siddiq beamed. "Congratulations to both of you." He stood, holding his hand out to Rick.

Rick hesitated a millisecond as Siddiq stood in front of him, because this moment was not lost him on him. The man, the doctor his son saved and brought back to Alexandria was the one giving them this life changing news, the one who was going to help them bring their child into the world. His son did that.

He swallowed and took Siddiq's hand into both of his as overwhelming love swelled in his chest for Carl. He could feel him in the room with them, between them, and he saw the same bittersweet joy mirrored in Michonne's eyes when he turned to her.

"I'll get you some prenatal vitamins to take with you, set up a calendar for routine check-ins." Siddiq moved to the counter. "You may start to experience nausea, fatigue, tenderness and cramping. You need to make sure you eat well, keep your blood sugar steady, but apart from that, you should be good. I'd like to see you again in 3 weeks, after that, we can do an ultrasound and have a look."

Laughter bubbled out of Rick unexpectedly, and after a moment of confusion from Michonne, she joined in, too, laughing hysterically - deliriously. "We're having a baby." He said, beaming with excitement.

"We're having a baby," Michonne echoed.

* * *

Rick settled into bed and let himself sink into the mattress with a orgasmic sigh as his body relaxed, muscle by muscle. He turned to Michonne as she splashed water over her face and neck, and then turned to the ceiling. He let their baby take form in his mind. Let his imagination run wild; wandering over sunset walks holding their hand, giving them horse riding lessons and watching Michonne show them how to swing a sword with perfect balance. Reading bedtime stories, giving bubble baths and planting food. There so much to do, so much to prepare for, but he was ready. The very thought made him feel like he was floating away.

He let it sink and sink, down to his bones. Him, a father again, with Michonne. He never believed more than he did now that all their suffering, all of their pain and loss was meant to – was always going to lead them here, to this, and he knew without Carl, this is was as close to whole as he'd ever get. But it felt okay. It felt right.

"Rick,"

He opened his eyes and turned to her, because he'd heard the burden in her voice and he'd felt it in his own chest. "What is it?"

Michonne turned, lifting her knee onto the bed as she lotioned her hand. Her nose flared and her jaw clenched, and she wouldn't look at him. "I've been going out there," she confessed. "Almost every night."

Rick sighed, his gaze dropping, and he nodded. "I know."

Her eyes flitted up, wide and remorseful. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Shrugging, he looked at her. "I figured when you were ready, you'd come talk to me about whatever it is," he leaned close and pulled her hand into his. "So?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I'm restless, I guess. I can't," wiping her nose, she dropped her gaze into her lap. "I can't sleep and the only way I've been able to wear myself out is-,"

"Yeah," he drawled, pulling her towards him. "You're stressed and tired. You've been juggling a lot, maybe too much. Trying to rebuild a society, reorder the world – it's a lot. You're bound to get a little wound up, restless."

Michonne sighed. "Yeah, maybe."

"It's normal," Rick assured. "We were out there a long time. I think we got so used to being out there, sometimes it feels more real than what we got in here." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Maybe you should take a rest from all it all – just for a little while."

"OK." Michonne said. "I'll think about it."

"Come ere," Rick pulled her and she climbed into bed, settling against his side. He stroked her hair and then her arm, and after a while, he felt her soften against him, melt into him. "It's a boy," he smirked.

Michonne clucked her tongue. "Don't even start with that." She nudged him.

"I'm telling you," Rick laughed. "mark my words."

"As long as it's healthy," Michonne said. "It doesn't matter." Silence fell over them and Rick waited patiently, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, because he'd started something and he knew it. "But it's probably a girl." She said.

Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around her back. "You just want me outnumbered."

Michonne tilted her head up with her eyebrows raised. "You're already outnumbered."

"Yeah," he relented. "Well, not for long. This one," patting her stomach, he sighed, light and happy. "this little one is on my side."

"Oh, you wanna bet?" Michonne goaded.

Rick shifted his hips towards her, so that he was leaning into her. "What are you offering?"

"If I lose - youuuuu - get to name her." She offered with a big grin. "But if I win – you have to grow your hair back."

"This again," Rick huffed out a laugh and nudged her with his hip.

"Yes, this again," Michonne poked him in the chest. "And let's not pretend the rewards are the same because you're getting off easy here,"

"Yeah, alright," he licked his lips and settled down, letting the silence lull him. "If it is a girl – Hope?"

"Oh," Michonne gazed up at him. "So, you've been thinking about this?"

"A little," Rick said, his voice heavy with sleep. "I mean, I would be happy with anything, any name, as long as," he breathed out.

"What?"

"As long as it isn't an honorary name, you know? I don't want our kid to be a walking memorial." His shoulder ached a little and he stretched his back to loosen it up before settling back. "I miss Carl, every minute of every day. I miss Glen, and Abraham. Sasha. Sophia. Beth. I do. But I want our child to be burden free." He scrubbed his hand over his mouth. "I want him or her to grow up in a world with a fresh start. A new story, that's its own. A path that's its own and not one he's carrying on for someone else."

"Rick junior," Michonne blurted and their eyes met, and hers twinkled. "You made your own path from the beginning. You carved it out, and then you fought for it, you defended it – protected it." She placed her hand on his face, pinching his beard. "And yeah, you struggled, lost your way for a while, but you never lost hope, even when you wanted to, even when you thought you did, you didn't. That's what I want for our baby." She smiled. "If he or she has to be burdened with anything, I want it to be your unwavering hope. Your fight."

Rick swallowed the lump in his throat, and then he kissed her. His chest growing warm as his heart stuttered her name. "You've thought about this too."

"A little." Michonne settled back down against him.

He couldn't stop thinking about Carl. He wanted to talk to him today and tell him how excited he is for this baby. He knew how Carl would react, what he would say, and how he would make plans before the baby was even here. Plans to teach them and show them his how, and protect them, like the wonderful big brother he is. Was.

"We'll tell him – or her, all about him." Michonne said, like she was reading his mind, because she could, so easily. "They're going to know all about their brave, and strong big brother."

Rick squeezed her to his chest. "He was here today. I felt him."

After a long pause and deep breath, Michonne tipped her head up at him. "Me too."

He smiled down at her. "We'll wait until our boy's a little older though before we pull out the stories about Carl's rebellious phase, that he decided to have, in the middle of an apocalypse."

Michonne chuckled. "Yeah, we'll break those out when he turns eighteen."

"You said he," Rick teased.

"Yeah, alright, whatever," She sighed and closed her eyes, ready for sleep to take her.

"This is our new beginning." Rick said. "Our family's. You, the baby and Judith, that's my life now. After the bridge is restored and we finish this charter, that's it for me."

"Rick Grimes, are you talking retirement?" Michonne yawned.

"Yeah," He ran his hand up her arm, pausing as she lifted herself onto her elbow. "I can't be out there anymore. I don't wanna be. I want to be here. I need to be here. We have plenty of capable leaders in our community now. People we trust. People we love. Aaron. Gabriel." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "When Carl was born I used every holiday and sick day I could get to be with him. With Judith it was different. When I think about the chaos she was born into - and then we were always moving, looking for safety, or food, or water, or both. Cold, and dirty. I regret not having the little moments with her that I had with Carl."

"You made up for that. She loves your time together." Michonne assured.

"Yeah, I know she does," He moved his arm around her back and circled his thumb against her warm skin. "But I want things to be different with this one, and they can be this time. We have people. We have a home, a life – a future. And this baby is going to have everything."

"You did that." Michonne cooed.

"We did that. All of us." He breathed in deep and whole. "I want to be here with him – with you." Leaning back, he looked into her eyes. "I'm so full, my heart could burst. Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Michonne asked.

"For finding me, back at the prison. Keeping Carl by your side, for being by my side, even when I didn't deserve it." He grazed his thumb across her lower lip. "Now it's my turn to be by your side, to be by each other's side, every step."

"Every step." Michonne cried, her chin quivering as she pressed her mouth to his, warm and full.

They'd both lost sons and now they were gaining one, together.

Rick pulled her into him and closed his eyes. He thought about Carl and Andre, wondering which of their children this one would take after, or if it'd be an even split. And in the quiet of his mind, and behind his rib cage, a love bigger than anything he ever felt was blooming, wide and deep, for this child he hadn't even met yet.

He asked his first born, first love of his life, Carl, to watch over their expanding family, over his brother until all of them were together again, in the next life.

In the morning he would meet with Eugene by the bridge to reassess their goals and readjust for its repairs, but for now, he just wanted to lie in this and drown in it, drinking it in until he was full.

"Every step," Rick whispered against Michonne's hair, and then his dreams took him, and in them he saw Carl meeting his little brother.

/The End


End file.
